Before Pinterest, I was bookmarking every single design and illustration site that I found interesting. It’s still nice to go through the list, randomly pick a link, and be instantly inspired by what pops up. Today’s random link led me to this:
Continue reading “A Little Slice of Heaven: Paper Cut Illustrations”
I’m clearly very far behind on this project! But instead of beating myself up over it, I’m just going to keep sharing them as they come. Here are two very different options for your patterning needs.
Pattern #11: Spring Swirl
I was browsing an old sketchbook (and I mean OLD–like before I was even thinking about being a designer) and found a fun style. With some touching up and color added, it’s a happy addition to any desktop. 🙂
All I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.
Pattern #12: Moroccan Tile
If I could only actually produce these and tile my future pool with these, I’d be a happy gal. I used intentionally misaligned and asymmetrical elements to add to the handmade feel.
I’m a little obsessed with Dana Tanamachi’s chalk signs right now. She’s a super-talented graphic designer based out of Brooklyn, NY, and was commissioned by West Elm, Rugby Ralph Lauren, Ace Hotel, and Tommy Hilfiger Harajuku (to name a few) to create stunning, elegant hand-lettered signs in chalk.
I love turn-of-the-century typography-turned modern, and I think she does an amazing job of it. I can see the influence of Louise Fili in her work, but the medium she is using is all her own. Beautiful. Enjoy.
Have you seen any hand-lettered signs, invitations, or packaging that you’d like to share?
I was lucky enough to get an afternoon to myself this weekend, and opted for some mani-pedi action. True to form, my fingertips were chipped by the next day. Taking advantage of the plethora of unique colors on the wall seemed like a good idea at the time, but here I am without a matching color for touch-ups.
Solution:
Touch-up with a contrasting color! I call this tequila sunrise. Don’t worry about French tips or anything fancy; just be consistent with how deep you go. I used a couple of coats of Sally Hansen topcoat to seal and smooth it out.
What are some nail tips (pun intended) you’d like to share?
Before launching into the next couple of patterns, I feel I should explain the Pattern-A-Day project a little bit.
You may look at the collection and say “These aren’t really patterns, Smarty.” And I’ll say, “You’re right. They are tiles for a seamless repeat pattern.” While the image itself may or may not be a pattern, when repeated, they should do so seamlessly.
Crappy technical tip: So if you want to see this at work, right-click on the image, click “Save As.” Then you can go to your System Preferences, choose “Change Desktop Background”, and select the image. Depending on your system, there are options such as “Fill Screen,” “Stretch to Screen,” or “Tile.” Select “Tile” and there you have it. See the image of my lovely desktop below:
Anyway, onto some new patterns (yes, I’m sticking with the misnomer for consistency!)
Pattern #9: Rec Room
So I didn’t grow up with a Rec Room, but I read many books of teens who had them in their basements. I didn’t even have a basement, or stairs, so the whole idea intrigued me. I always pictured Rec Rooms with some crazy wallpaper and shag carpet. And maybe a handmade mahogany bar stocked with Seagrams 7 and Wild Turkey. If that mental picture was at all accurate, I’d bet the wallpaper was something like the following.
All I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.
Pattern #10: Hello, Dahlia!
It’s dahlia season, and Volunteer Park in Seattle has a beautiful collection of these structural, unique flowers. I snapped pics today and collaged them. I love the screenprinted effect (without getting my hands dirty). This would make an excellent desktop wallpaper, Twitter background, or blog background. Take a deep whiff and enjoy!
Today is a twofer since I didn’t get to post yesterday.
Pattern #7: Argyle Love Connection
I’ve been a fan of argyle for years, so for today, I thought I’d show it a little love…connection.
The lines connect star-crossed lovers all across your desktop!
If you repost, all I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.
Pattern #8: Hot Shade
Two years ago, we took a little trip to LA. One day, we visited the Getty, which was a truly amazing experience. One thing I really loved were the tumbled travertine pavers in the courtyard, enhanced by the shade of the well-placed trees. I took some of these tiles and manipulated them. I think they look a little like watercolor now. Enjoy!
Again, if you repost, all I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.
Pattern #6: Pole Position
I was inspired by this weekend’s trip to the LeMay Car Museum. The cars were beautiful and the building itself was a sight to see! I’m only a casual car enthusiast. “Appreciator” is more of an accurate term. My husband is the true enthusiast, pointing out the horsepower of this, the xx-liter engine of that (I really don’t know). But what I was struck by were all the design details, especially before the 1960s. From this collection, it seemed like there was a true intention to design and create beautiful details, even in production vehicles. I think car manufacturers are just beginning to head back in this direction, but are a far cry from the real “coolness” that existed in other eras.
I digress. Here’s today’s pattern. Numbers galore!
All I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.
Pattern #5: Bright Boho
This is a little bit of a cheat, but I liked #4 so much, I created a couple of different colorways. I can see these sunny amoeba-flowers gracing a tote bag or little clutch. Of course, I post these here for electronic use, but maybe someday I’ll get into textile design. 🙂 So download away, friends!
All I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.
Pattern #4: Boho Summer
This one was a lot of fun. I used an actual PENCIL and PAPER! I liked it so much, I made it the cover image for the Committed Facebook page. You could fiddle with it and do the same!
All I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.
Pattern #3: Georetro
I’m kind of excited about this one. Inspired by Charley Harper’s awesome geometric animals, and just a 60s look in general, I wanted to bring in some fun shapes and colors and see if they’d work together in a seamless pattern. Maybe repeat it to create a nice timeline header?
All I ask is you provide a link back to my blog to let folks know where you got it.
